To the Institute
by Hikaru Leach
Summary: Three girls at the London try to find out what they really are when similar events bring them together. (Will and Jem LOOK A LIKES. not the actual characters. set after infernal devises.)
1. Chapter 1

The rain had been pouring down heavily that evening. The streets streaked with silver and windows crying its silent tears. Brandon Heartland, current head of the London institute, was sitting at his desk writing out letters with only the steady ticking of the clock for company. The loud toll of the summoning bell snapped him out of his dream like state. With a confused expression and a curious mind, Brandon made his way to the front of the institute and opened the big wooden doors.

A small girl, no younger than 6, stood with her head down shivering as rain poured down on her small frame. Brandon knelt in front of the small girl to look at her.

"Help... please" She breathed as she looked up slowly. Brandon saw that her slightly dirty face was streaked with tears. Her pale blue eyes held fear that a six year old should never had. He ushered her inside and closed the door.

"What happened?" He asked whilst removing her black wet hair out of her eyes.

"Demons... attacked. We were sleeping. I ran." she looked at him dead in the eyes. She seemed to have stopped crying for now but still wiped her face like it was a habit to her. He smiled warmly at her and stood up straight.

"We can get you cleaned up and dry and in the morning we can talk about what we can do okay?" she nodded and put her hand to her lip, as if playing with it. Brandon turned around and saw his maid, Maria, walk down the hall. "Maria, will you take the little miss her to one of the spare rooms. Also get her washed and dressed for bed as well please?"

Maria looked up when he had called her name and smiled at the request.

"Of course I will." she said in a high wispy voice. She walked over to the little girl, knelt in front of her and took her hand that wasn't raised to her mouth. "Little miss, if you would like to come with me I will get you clean." the girl nodded once. Still holding the maids hand she followed her up the stairs and into a room at the far end of he hall that had recently been turned over.

After the little girl had a bath and gotten dressed for bed, the maid had fetched a plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk. She helped the little girl get into bed and placed the food and drink next to her bed for easy reach. She was about to blow the candle out when the girl took Maria's wrist.

"Please don't blow out the candle." Maria smiled at her and nodded. When she left she closed the door lightly behind her.

Brandon meanwhile had written letters to some informants that he knew, asking about if there had been any recent demon attacks on family's in England, and had Carlton, another servant, deliver them.

The next morning Maria went back to the room the little miss was staying in and found that she was already up sipping on her glass of milk silently.

"I'm sorry, miss. I could not find any small girl clothes. But I borrowed a shirt from one of the younger residents here which will be a bit big on you. This will be only temporary."

The little girl just nodded and jumped down from the bed and let the maid help her get dressed out of her night gown into the shirt and some trousers that she borrowed. The clothes were obviously to big for the little girl but for a while they would have to do. Maria then took her down into the dining room where she settled on to a seat. She looked so small compared to the rest of the room. To Brandon she was very small to the building. She could easily get lost or simply forgotten. But to him she seemed smart enough to look out for herself. Brandon made his way into dinning room and sat at his usual place at the head of the table. He had his head down in some paper work he had brought in that he was temporally startled when he heard a little cough come from further up the table.

"Oh, little miss. I didn't think you were there. Did you have good night sleep?" She nodded her little head, the black silk certain of hair falling in front of her face. "I know you wouldn't want to talk about it but is it alright to tell me what happened that led you here last night?"

"I awoke to screaming. It came from my parents room but when I went to go see what it was, three demons came out of the room... h..holding bits of my parents... they told me that if I ever needed somewhere to go that there was a place by the themes river that would take me in and keep me safe." She looked up at Brandon who had looked at her with pity and astonishment in his eyes.

"Well you will be safe here. You can stay as long as you like. You may also train along side our other resident here. Though I am assuming you are a shadow hunter" she nodded and he smiled. "Well that's that. I will have Maria go out and buy you some clothes. Your previous clothes had rips in and was unwearable. Would you like a tour of the building?"

She shook her head and grabbed the remaining piece of toast that was left on her plate and resumed eating it. Brandon went back to eating whilst he looked over his work again. There was a few moments of silence before he looked back up again to see the cook clean the now empty space the little girl had previously been in.

The girl had spent most of her day in the library, reading the titles on books on the first few shelves. When she left and tried to find her way back to the room she had previously slept in she bumped into someone. She mumbled a apology to the person but stood there awkwardly.

"So your the little girl who borrowed my clothes." a boys voice said. She heard a rustle of fabric then someone trying to see through the hair that had fallen. She looked up into the face of a young boy. To her he looked so much holder than himself, but in truth he was only four years older. She noticed that his blonde hair was so light that it was almost white, and that his eyes where also a pale shade of blue. He reminded her of winter.

"Thank you. For the clothes." she said shyly. She saw his mouth twitch up into a smile.

"Your very welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Would you mind if I asked your name?" She looked into his eyes then down at the ground, bring her fingers up to rest on her lips.

"Mabel Ravenheart."

"Well Mabel, it is very nice to meet you. Would you like me to show to your room?" Mabel nodded and when the boy offered her his hand she took it in one of her own. She told him where the maid had taken her previously before and he knew where to go. "My name is Jeremy by the way. Most people call me Jem." He looked down at the little girl who nodded in acknowledgement.

It took them a few minutes to get to the room that Mabel had described. When they got to her door he knelt in front of her again.

"My room is about 5 doors down. If you need any help with anything, you can always come to me okay?" Mabel nodded again and went to go to her room, but hugged Jem and whispered a thank you in his ear first.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been four years since Mabel had arrived at the institute and since then she was tutored along side Jem, but as he got older he didn't appear in her lessons any more. Jem had grown to be her older brother and protected her as if she were is real sister. Also some one else had arrived during the four years. William Pillstring. His personality seemed as dark as his hair the first time they met but brightened up like his deep blue eyes do in the sunlight.

Mabel sat in a library window reading one of the many poetry books she had found in the vast library. The sun had come out from behind the clouds, she closed her book and looked out at the sky. She hadn't seen it so bright in awhile. She leaned her head against the frame of the window.

The door opened with a loud click that snapped Mabel out of her day dreaming.

"I knew I would find you in here." Jem said and came over to sit in front of her.

"where else would I be?" she smiled to herself and sat up right. "What is it that you have come to find me?"

"You seemed to have forgotten the time. It is already lunch." she raised an eyebrow then looked out the window to look at where the sun had sat in the sky.

"So it seems." she looked back at him and smiled. "Thank you. I will come down now." she placed the book she has been currently reading down on the seat and stood up and walked out with Jem to the dinning room. Will had already seated in his usual place at the table. Mabel took her seat beside Will and Jem beside her. Maria came out of the kitchen with plates that she set in front of the three seated people.

Not long after they started eating Brandon came in, a small girl walking shyly behind him. Her white hair had been pulled up into a ponytail behind her head. Her hands clasped behind her back and her red dressed stood out against her pale skin.

"Everyone, this is Gemma Wood. She arrived this morning and will now be a resident with you three. Make her feel welcome." Brandon left, leaving Gemma behind. Standing there. Mabel got up and went over to her.

"Hello, I'm Mabel. We were just about to eat. Come and join us." Gemma moved her hands from behind her back to the front and followed her to the table where Mabel pulled out a chair opposite the two boys. After she was settled and Mabel went back to her chair Maria came out wiping her apron down and looked up to see Gemma.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss. Ill get another plate right away." she quickly went back into the kitchen and came back out with another plate and set her place. After everything was done Mabel looked at her curiously.

"So, what brought you here?"

"I killed my parents" she said suddenly. Mabel just looked at her dumbfounded and went back to eating quickly. She looked to Jem for help but he looked like what she felt. She looked on the other side of her to will who had the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. If you didn't know him as long as Mabel had you would of missed it.


	3. Chapter 3

From the four years that followed after Gemma came to the institute various visitors around the same time that Will had arrived. Gemma had grown close to will like Mabel had grown close to Jem. Despite their young age the group was showing great promise in their ability. When the girls were being taught by a tutor that had been coming in for the past few months when Maria had come in in her usual black dress and white apron.

"Pardon me, but master Brandon would like to see you girls in his office." Mabel and Gemma looked at each other then nodded at Maria who exited the room. They put their weapons they had been practising with away and left the room, still remain gin their gear.

They made their way quickly to Brandon's office. When they entered someone was already sitting in front of his desk.

"Brandon, you called for us?" he looked up from some work on his desk and seemed to wake up a bit.

"Oh yes, girls, this here is 'Monsta' that of course is her nick name as she doesn't want anyone to know her real name. Please look after her." The girl that had been currently sitting down stood up and turned around. She looked around the same age as Mabel and Gemma maybe younger. Her dress was white with blocks of colourful designs all around. She seemed to frown when she eyed the two girls.

"I didn't know that girls could wear trousers." She said as she crossed her arms.

"We were just training. Would you like to join us?" Gemma said as she gestured to the door. "You'll have to get the gear of course." the girl in front of them seemed to smile to herself as they walked out.

Over the course of two months the girls had found that Monsta seemed very outgoing. She seemed to always try and push Mabel to her limits. Also if Gemma seemed to be feeling low Monsta would always try and cheer her up, and it works mostly but if not she would just throw knifes at a wall until she felt better.

Mabel had been teaching Monsta about history of shadowhunters and literature, with Jem helping. And Gemma had been teaching her about demons and downworlders, with Will helping.

Monsta had been taught everything that Mabel and Jem knew about shadowhunters yet Mabel still stayed up in the library reading what she can.

"Not again." Jem said when he found Mabel sleeping in her usual reading spot next to the window, an open book in her hands. He gently lifted her into his arms and carried her to her room. Mabel had relaxed in his arms by the time they reached the room and seemed to be clutched tightly onto his shirt. When he tried to lay her down she clung tighter.

"Mumma..." she whispered in a soft voice. To Jem she sounded like she was 6 again when they first met. He didn't want to leave her on her own so lay next to her and held her whilst she slept.

"Shhh, its okay." he would whisper to her over and over again whilst he stroked her hair while she calmed down. When Mabel had finally stopped having her nightmare Jem was already asleep.

"So I hear you two where sleeping in the same bed last night" Monsta said the next morning whilst they ate their breakfast. Mabel looked up from her plate to meet her eyes from across the table.

"We were not doing what you are thinking. I am only 14. And Jem had simply carried me from the library to my room like he also would but this time was just to tired to go back to his room. Right Jem?" Mabel looked at him for conformation, desperation in her eyes.

"Yes Mabel, that's what happened."

"You two are no fun, you seem so close but never seem to make advances." She pouted as she ate the rest of her toast.

"Where are Gemma and Will? They should be here by now, breakfast is almost over."

"I'm sure they are jus..." Before she could finish Gemma and Will burst in panting and covered in sweat. They were also wearing gear.

"Early morning training?" Monsta questioned as she raised an eyebrow at them. Gemma and will just looked at each other and grinned before eating.


End file.
